Let me give you a little background first. I’ve been riding mountain bikes since 1980. If that predates your birthday, just keep that to yourself please. I’ve worked with all kinds of customers, and ridden with a very wide variety of people. I may have become a little jaded when it comes to bike riding, I can admit it. My attitude a month ago to hitting the trail may have been very “whatever”.
In the last two months I have been a better friend to a few people. One of them, in his mid-40’s, has really discovered mountain bike riding for the first time. He’s ridden motorcycles in the desert for years, and was getting burned out on the whole experience. Go to the Airport for Race Fuel for the motos, fuel up the truck, load and hook up the trailer, drive an hour and half, and unload the bikes. Put gear on, ride motorcycle for 3+ hours. Get back to rig, stow ride gear, load trailer. Drive an hour and a half home, unload everything. Clean the trailer and bike. Park trailer, disconnect, park truck. It makes me tired just reading all it takes to go ride!
Compare this to; grab helmet/ Camelbak/ shoes/ bike. Put in truck, drive 15 minutes. Ride 90 minutes. Drive home, stow gear, lube chain. Feel good, have the rest of the day available. Do it again the next day. Easy!
After you’ve done a sport for some time, it can be easy to take some things for granted. Riding with this guy is just fun. Even when he feels like barfing because the hill climb was so steep, he radiates happiness in being there. He dreams of mountain biking. He doesn’t quite know it yet, but he’s gonna snap and buy a $3,000 bicycle in a month or two. He has got “it”. By helping this person into the sport, now I have “it” again. In fact I’m getting the better part of the deal, I think.
What am I suggesting in relating this to you? You will get something from mentoring a person, even if they’re older than you. Get involved, and make a difference. It may make you an expert all over again.
2 comments:
I took my mother on a mountain bike ride just after Christmas. Although she has been on a tandem with my father, this was the first time she has been on a bike by herself in 25 years! It was fun to see a newbie creaping down some easy downhill, and relate to her feeling of wanting to lose her guts halfway up an easy climb. (I hope she's not reading this right now.) It takes me back over 15 years when I first got into mountain biking, and realize just how far I've come as a rider.
So my dad finally caved in, and I was able to score her a sweet deal on a very nice full suspension. It's more bike than she'll ever need, but it will last her a very long time! I look forward to riding with her in the near future, as soon as I make another trip to California!
Alot of the fixed geared guys I ride with dont ride anything else. I built a fixed geared mountain bike a while ago and everyone in the bunch has gotten a ride. Now theyre all breaking out their old bmx bikes, looking for something new to try. They aren't newbies but they got a taste of something else and are exploring other ways to ride again. Its alot of fun. Its been a long time since any of us have gathered in a field for a day and built jumps.
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